As we "surge and purge", where does the respect for life come in?
There are three sects of Iraqis who are fighting each other. Then you have the "insurgents" who are fighting the Americans. Then Al Queda and all it's new recruits lurk.
You as a stranger are a stranger in a strange land. They all look the same to you.

You haven't been rotated out, the place is hellhouse, you have to watch your back, you're young, you miss your family, you have NO REAL training (after all you thought you'd end up with a business education or you joined the army to "kick some ass")......well tell me, where does the self control come in?

Not only are we harming the Iraqis, but we are scarring these young soldiers, who will have a lifetime of hell returning to the society then left, full of rage, fear and paranoia. The statistics show that close to 50% of our soldiers that are coming back have PTSD.

Stay the course? I'd say only in Bagdad. And pull in and if there are enclaves setting up in the countryside, get the info and take them out by air. The US should only be responsible for Bagdad. Period. The time line should be 6 months. And if the Iraqi congress wants to take two months off, threaten to leave, and follow through if they do.